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Abstract

This paper reports on a 3 year-long PhD level research study carried out by the author in the development of Environmentally Responsible Business Strategies (ERBS). Although ERBS has taken a long time to develop, it is maturing into an approach used by many organizations in practice. This paper reports on the major elements that form part of ERBS: the business architecture, Green policies, processes that create waste and emissions, enablement of efficient use of resources, metrics for monitoring the greening of the organization, and implementation of environmental strategies. The ERBS is made up of five phases: 1) Green Business architecture, 2) Green Process mapping, 3) Creation of organization specific ERBS, 4) Implement reengineered processes and employ ERBS, and 5) Improve continuously to monetize emissions. This paper further provides a review of environmental challenges and understanding of the contribution of computing to the environmental strategies of a business and its sustainable management.

Environmentally Responsible Business Architecture

The ICT services and products can enable smart development opportunities for carbon emission reduction in business as, “ICT examines more than just the technological system, or just the social system, or even the two side by side; in addition it investigates the phenomena that emerge when the two interact” (Lee, 2009). Unhelkar (2010) defined “Green ICT as the conscious implementation of technologies, techniques and policies designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the IT function within the organization and the use of IT to reduce the carbon footprint of the whole organization.”

The formation of ERBS in this paper is to bring to the attention of the policy makers and decision makers that ICT; in particular Green ICT has an important role to play in stimulating green business goals and promoting sustainable development (T-Systems International GmbH, 2009; Street, 2007). Green business transformation of the current business is possible only if it is known where the possible carbon emissions occur throughout the processes and products in various sectors of the business (Steer, 2007). Green ICT and its services present opportunities to deliver low carbon footprints and mitigate carbon emissions because of the unique ability to make energy consumption and GHG emissions visible through its products and services (Unhelkar & Trivedi, 2009a; Murugesan, 2008b) (discussed later in this paper).